This is the question we answer most at the counter, so here's the honest version — including the times we'll tell you not to grade.
The real cost
Grading through us starts at $185 per card Standard and drops with quantity — $175 at 5+, $165 at 10+, $155 at 25+, $145 at 50+. Express is $299 and Super Express is $649, both with Grader Notes included. Every price includes our handling: we log, sleeve, pack, submit under our PSA dealer account, track, and return your cards insured.
So the first filter is simple: would a graded copy sell for meaningfully more than the raw copy plus the fee?
The value thresholds we actually use
- Raw card worth under ~$50: usually keep it raw, unless it's sentimental or you're building a graded set. A PSA 10 might not recover the fee.
- $50–$150 raw: grade it if it's clean. This is where a 10 genuinely multiplies value — and where a 7 hurts. Be honest about centring and surface.
- $150+ raw: grade it. Protection and authentication alone are worth it at this level, and buyers pay a premium for the slab.
- Vintage anything: grade it. Even mid-grade vintage sells better slabbed, and the authentication matters more than the number.
What actually costs you grades
From thousands of submissions through our floor, the same four things sink cards: centring (check the borders before anything else), surface scratches you can only see under angled light, whitening on the back edges, and print lines. If you can see a problem with your naked eye, PSA will see it too.
When we'll tell you to walk away
If you bring us a played card and ask about grading, we'll say so — a low grade on a common card is the most expensive way to store cardboard. Keep it in a sleeve and enjoy it.
Ready to submit?
Start a submission — pick your tier, upload photos, and drop off in store or post to us. You'll track every step from your account, and you reveal your grades online the moment PSA publishes them.